Kate McMillan is a judge in the Trial Division of the

Supreme Court of Victoria The Supreme Court of Victoria is the highest court in the Australian state of Victoria. Founded in 1852, it is a superior court of common law and equity, with unlimited and inherent jurisdiction within the state. The Supreme Court comprises ...

. She formerly worked as a solicitor before becoming a barrister where she was appointed a Senior Counsel.

Early life and education

McMillan attended

Ruyton Girls' School , motto_translation = Upright and Faithful , established = 1878 , type = Independent, single-sex, day school , denomination = Non-denominational , key_people = , chairman ...

in Kew, Victoria where she was Vice Captain, Athletics Captain and a Boarding House Prefect. McMillan studied at the

Melbourne Law School Melbourne Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of the University of Melbourne. Located in Carlton, Victoria, Melbourne Law School is Australia's oldest law school, and offers J.D., LL.M, Ph.D, and LL.D degrees. In 2021-22, THE ...

where she graduated with a Bachelor of Laws in 1974.

Career

McMillan did her

articles Article often refers to: * Article (grammar), a grammatical element used to indicate definiteness or indefiniteness * Article (publishing), a piece of nonfictional prose that is an independent part of a publication Article may also refer to: G ...

with John Ball and was admitted as a solicitor in April 1976. Six months later she went to work at law firm Phillips, Fox & Masel. McMillan became a barrister in 1981 where she spent the majority of her legal career, being appointed Senior Counsel in 2000, practising primarily in commercial litigation. She was on the Bar Ethics Committee for 10 years and was the Chair of the Victorian Bar in 2005–6. McMillan represented, the former wife of Bob Jane in various proceedings following their separation.

Supreme Court

McMillan was appointed to the Supreme Court of Victoria on 14 March 2012, where she primarily hears matters in the Common Law Division and is the Judge in Charge of the Trusts, Equity and Probate List. In 2013 McMillan was accused of doing her nails and reading a legal textbook while witnesses were giving evidence in a lengthy trial. Mc Millan refused an application that she

recuse Judicial disqualification, also referred to as recusal, is the act of abstaining from participation in an official action such as a legal proceeding due to a conflict of interest of the presiding court official or administrative officer. Applica ...

herself due to a

reasonable apprehension of bias In Canadian law, a reasonable apprehension of bias is a legal standard for disqualifying judges and administrative decision-makers for bias Bias is a disproportionate weight ''in favor of'' or ''against'' an idea or thing, usually in a way that ...

Personal life

McMillan is the co-owner with her husband of an Angus beef farm at Kerrie, near Romsey.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McMillan, Kate Judges of the Supreme Court of Victoria Australian women judges Melbourne Law School alumni Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Australian Senior Counsel People educated at Ruyton Girls' School Judges from Melbourne